craft1948:
Just thought I'd respond to your well-made point about Pride marches being obsolete/unnecessary.
You're right, they don't generally serve their original function anymore - naturally, they take on a role in attacking the minority who are still intolerant, and in raising awareness about the persecution of gay people elsewhere in the world. But I would argue that in this day and age, that is not their only role.
The role they play now is largely cultural. So, as we all know, for centuries in this country gay people or any non-heterosexuals were persecuted, criminalised and marginalised. The gay rights movement and its supporters have met with huge success in overturning that over the past 40-50 years. What Pride marches etc. now do is simply celebrate that heritage and the fact that it has been achieved. It's very important to the gay community, because the fact is it's a history that every member of it has in common.
Furthermore, Pride events are about the most inclusive imaginable - in all the Pride rallies I've attended, there's always been huge numbers of heterosexuals and incredible diversity of backgrounds present. Why? Because all that they have in common is an appreciation of that historic achievement which our society has made in the past few decades.
So, you're right. Functionally, the battles that the gay rights movement was initially fighting have largely been lost and won. The reason it doesn't disappear into the ether is because nowadays Pride events can raise awareness, but also celebrate the shared history that the LGBT community and its supporters have together. They're just about celebrating that achievement, which the overwhelming majority of people (yourself included) see as a good thing, and just trying to use that as means to celebrate togetherness and diversity. That's what it is nowadays.